10 Tips for Maintaining Your Motivation to Run

You already know that changing up your routine can reenergize your running habits. And you may realize by now that the joy of running isn't always about race records and personal bests. What you might not know is that turning your daily run from an exercise activity into an adventure can totally change what your running is all about.

Your two feet are among the best tools ever for exploration. It doesn't matter whether you live in a densely packed city or a rural outpost, there are always new places you can explore and investigate. Even if you've driven a particular road 1,000 times, you'll see things in a very different perspective when you're on foot.

Experienced runners know that it's easy to get stuck in rut with regards to routes. You may have four or five runs that you use regularly, and their familiarity can be comforting. In addition, finding new routes is often problematic and frustrating, as you learn to deal with new traffic patterns, congestion, and hydration stops.

But there are ways to jump-start your explorations. You can search online for running routes in your area. Other dedicated hikers and runners likely have already posted many other routes you never even considered.

You can build new routes yourself, too. Check out online satellite and topography maps for clues to interesting new places. Don't settle for a bird's eye view. Really zoom in on the details to see more about the world around you – and then lace up your shoes and go out and see it with your own eyes.

Read on to learn how 2,000-meter record holder Haile Gebreselassie came out on top.